Paradise Lost
By
John Milton
Book XI

Who slew his brother; studious they appearOf arts that polish life, inventers rare;Unmindful of their Maker, though his SpiritTaught them; but they his gifts acknowledged none.Yet they a beauteous offspring shall beget;For that fair female troop thou sawest, that seemedOf Goddesses, so blithe, so smooth, so gay,Yet empty of all good wherein consistsWoman's domestick honour and chief praise;Bred only and completed to the tasteOf lustful appetence, to sing, to dance,To dress, and troll the tongue, and roll the eye:To these that sober race of men, whose livesReligious titled them the sons of God,Shall yield up all their virtue, all their fameIgnobly, to the trains and to the smilesOf these fair atheists; and now swim in joy,Erelong to swim at large; and laugh, for whichThe world erelong a world of tears must weep.To whom thus Adam, of short joy bereft.O pity and shame, that they, who to live wellEntered so fair, should turn aside to treadPaths indirect, or in the mid way faint!But still I see the tenour of Man's woeHolds on the same, from Woman to begin.From Man's effeminate slackness it begins,Said the Angel, who should better hold his placeBy wisdom, and superiour gifts received.But now prepare thee for another scene.He looked, and saw wide territory spreadBefore him, towns, and rural works between;Cities of men with lofty gates and towers,Concourse in arms, fierce faces threatening war,Giants of mighty bone and bold emprise;Part wield their arms, part curb the foaming steed,Single or in array of battle rangedBoth horse and foot, nor idly mustering stood;One way a band select from forage drivesA herd of beeves, fair oxen and fair kine,From a fat meadow ground; or fleecy flock,Ewes and their bleating lambs over the plain,Their booty; scarce with life the shepherds fly,

But call in aid, which makes a bloody fray;With cruel tournament the squadrons join;Where cattle pastured late, now scattered liesWith carcasses and arms the ensanguined field,Deserted: Others to a city strongLay siege, encamped; by battery, scale, and mine,Assaulting; others from the wall defendWith dart and javelin, stones, and sulphurous fire;On each hand slaughter, and gigantick deeds.In other part the sceptered heralds callTo council, in the city-gates; anonGray-headed men and grave, with warriours mixed,Assemble, and harangues are heard; but soon,In factious opposition; till at last,Of middle age one rising, eminentIn wise deport, spake much of right and wrong,Of justice, or religion, truth, and peace,And judgement from above: him old and youngExploded, and had seized with violent hands,Had not a cloud descending snatched him thenceUnseen amid the throng: so violenceProceeded, and oppression, and sword-law,Through all the plain, and refuge none was found.Adam was all in tears, and to his guideLamenting turned full sad; O! what are these,Death's ministers, not men? who thus deal deathInhumanly to men, and multiplyTen thousandfold the sin of him who slewHis brother: for of whom such massacreMake they, but of their brethren; men of menBut who was that just man, whom had not HeavenRescued, had in his righteousness been lost?To whom thus Michael. These are the productOf those ill-mated marriages thou sawest;Where good with bad were matched, who of themselvesAbhor to join; and, by imprudence mixed,

Produce prodigious births of body or mind.Such were these giants, men of high renown;For in those days might only shall be admired,And valour and heroick virtue called;To overcome in battle, and subdueNations, and bring home spoils with infiniteMan-slaughter, shall be held the highest pitchOf human glory; and for glory doneOf triumph, to be styled great conqueroursPatrons of mankind, Gods, and sons of Gods;Destroyers rightlier called, and plagues of men.Thus fame shall be achieved, renown on earth;And what most merits fame, in silence hid.But he, the seventh from thee, whom thou beheldstThe only righteous in a world preverse,And therefore hated, therefore so besetWith foes, for daring single to be just,And utter odious truth, that God would comeTo judge them with his Saints; him the Most HighRapt in a balmy cloud with winged steedsDid, as thou sawest, receive, to walk with GodHigh in salvation and the climes of bliss,Exempt from death; to show thee what rewardAwaits the good; the rest what punishment;Which now direct thine eyes and soon behold.He looked, and saw the face of things quite changed;The brazen throat of war had ceased to roar;All now was turned to jollity and game,To luxury and riot, feast and dance;Marrying or prostituting, as befel,Rape or adultery, where passing fairAllured them; thence from cups to civil broils.At length a reverend sire among them came,And of their doings great dislike declared,And testified against their ways; he oftFrequented their assemblies, whereso met,Triumphs or festivals; and to them preachedConversion and repentance, as to souls

In prison, under judgements imminent:But all in vain: which when he saw, he ceasedContending, and removed his tents far off;Then, from the mountain hewing timber tall,Began to build a vessel of huge bulk;Measured by cubit, length, and breadth, and highth;Smeared round with pitch; and in the side a doorContrived; and of provisions laid in large,For man and beast: when lo, a wonder strange!Of every beast, and bird, and insect small,Came sevens, and pairs; and entered in as taughtTheir order: last the sire and his three sons,With their four wives; and God made fast the door.Mean while the south-wind rose, and, with black wingsWide-hovering, all the clouds together droveFrom under Heaven; the hills to their supplyVapour, and exhalation dusk and moist,Sent up amain; and now the thickened skyLike a dark ceiling stood; down rushed the rainImpetuous; and continued, till the earthNo more was seen: the floating vessel swumUplifted, and secure with beaked prowRode tilting o'er the waves; all dwellings elseFlood overwhelmed, and them with all their pompDeep under water rolled; sea covered sea,Sea without shore; and in their palaces,Where luxury late reigned, sea-monsters whelpedAnd stabled; of mankind, so numerous late,All left, in one small bottom swum imbarked.How didst thou grieve then, Adam, to beholdThe end of all thy offspring, end so sad,Depopulation! Thee another flood,Of tears and sorrow a flood, thee also drowned,And sunk thee as thy sons; till, gently rearedBy the Angel, on thy feet thou stoodest at last,Though comfortless; as when a father mournsHis children, all in view destroyed at once;And scarce to the Angel utter'dst thus thy plaint.